Loss, Recuperation, and Identity


Daniell/Kailasa Temple at Ellora, India
 


The artists Thomas and William Daniell are best known for their publication Oriental Scenery, an elegantly illustrated account of the architecture, archaeology, and landscapes of the Indian subcontinent. In the early 1790s, the Daniells explored the cave temples of Ellora with James Wales, who drew this view of the late eighth-century Kailasa Temple (Cave 16), dedicated to the Buddhist god Shiva. Such views stimulated the European taste for exotic styles and "oriental" motifs in building, garden design, and the decorative arts.